Island



with two and three staples.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN 1). FORD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR or oNE- HALF TOJOSEPH A. MILLER, OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON-FAST ENER.

Application filed January 2 1883.

To all whom it. may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN D. FORD, of the city and county ofProvidence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Button-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention has reference to the class of fasteners for securingbuttons to shoes and other wearing-apparel, made of sheetmetal; and itconsists in the peculiar construction of the device by which a broadbearing on the material is secured and the shank of the button issupported on the metal surface, as will be more fully set forthhereinafter.

Button-fasteners have heretofore been made In such fasteners the widthof the staples proper only rested on the material, and the buttons wereusually drawn down so that the shank rested on the material. Everymotion of the button would wear the material, and when drawn too tight;the button became rigid, so that it was difficult to button shoes orother thick material.

The object of this invention is to secure a firm bearing for the deviceon the upper surface and construct the same so that the shank of thebutton will rest upon the metal surface.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved button-fastener. Fig. 2 isa view of the sheet-metal blank from which the buttonfastener is made.Fig. 8 is a View of my improved button-fastener. Fig. 4 is a view of amodified form of the same. 7 Fig. 5 is a view. of a button secured by myimproved button: fastener.

In the drawings, a is one leg of the staple. b a

Patent No. 279,560, dated June 19, 1883,

(No model.)

is the other leg, made of sufficient length to form 0 the eye 12. 0 is acircular or nearly circular disk, slitted nearly up to the center, orthereabout, along each side of the staple b, so that when the staple isbent to form the eye the two sides of the disk 0 c projectinto the eyeand form a bearing for the shank. The raising of the staple b above thedisk forms a slot, which facilitates the entering of the shank-eye intothe staple above the disk 0. The staple b may be set on an incline or becurved, as is shown in Fig. 4, so that the forcing of the staple throughthe material will bring the staple close up to the disk 0, or, ifdesired, partially into the slot. d is the button, and d the shank-eyeof the button, through which the staple Z) is passed. The disk 0 forms afirm bearing 011 the face of the material, and also forms a bearing forthe end of the shank-eye, which may be drawn down so as to rest on thetwo portions of the disk projecting into the eye, and so, while holdingthe button firmly, allow the same to rock easily on the shank, thusgreatly facilitating the buttoning of a shoe, glove, or similar article.

The device is simple and durable. It can be cut from sheet metal withless waste than the ordinary three-prong devices, and will hold a buttonmore securely.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent A blank consisting of the prongs a and 1), extendingin opposite directions from the partially-slitted disk 0 0, adapted tobe bent to form a button-fastener, as described.

' FRANKLIN D. FORD. Witnesses:

J. A. MILLER, Jr., M. F. BLIGH.

